1. Field of the Invention
The present invention specifically relates to an expandable drawer organizer for accommodating drawers of various sizes and a method for the organization of various articles within a drawer.
2. Description of the Related Art
The efficient organization of various articles within a drawer, whether they are tools, cutlery, hardware, toiletries or other sundry items, has long presented a problem for the users of such items. One such attempt to address the problem has been by the use of boxes positioned within the drawer. However, an inherent shortcoming of this approach is the need to arrange individual boxes into a specific arrangement tailored exclusively to the drawer or other like drawers having the same dimensional configuration. Another drawback is that the boxes may not effectively utilize the drawer area, resulting in an underutilization of the drawer storage capacity, due to the ill fit of the boxes. The use of boxes also raises a durability concern for the user, especially when heavy, bulky or sharp items are concerned which, require that the user frequently replace, repair or discard the damaged boxes. Yet, another issue that this approach fails to address is that of portability; as the boxes are limited to the present configuration within drawers having similar dimensional constraints thereby creating further issues of underutilization based on the drawer area and individual box dimensions. Even if this particular limitation can be overcome, the user is subsequently presented with the time consuming and burdensome task of disassembly and reassembly of the configuration within the new location. It would be advantageous to have an organizer that overcomes the issues presented by this approach.
Another approach is the use of separators, which span either the width, or length of a drawer, which may be of either non-adjustable permanent-type, adjustable permanent-type or temporary construction. These each suffer the inherent difficulty of being specific to the drawer where they are employed and typically lack interchangeability among drawers having different dimensional configurations, this point is most pronounced with the permanently affixed and adjustable permanent-type separators. Often, these approaches require that the drawer be customized to accommodate the separators and prevent the movement or collapse of the separator when the drawer is opened or closed, especially when containing heavy articles, i.e. tools, hardware, dishes, etc. This solution in the case of adjustable permanent-type and temporary separators, like the use of the boxes before, require the user to carefully configure the arrangement of the separators to form spaces that are specific to the article(s) in question, in order to assure optimum utilization of the drawer area. In the case of the non-adjustable permanent-type separators, the user must given careful consideration to the materials to be organized in the drawer, as future modifications imposes the need to remanufacture the drawer to accommodate the new arrangement. Both non-adjustable and adjustable permanent-type separators force the user to incur the increased cost of custom drawers and related components necessary to facilitate the use these separators. In attempts to address the issue of cost concerns native to the non-adjustable and adjustable permanent-type separators; temporary separators have been introduced which, are constructed of less durable materials that often lack the structural integrity required to retain heavy articles without the separator sustaining damage. The user of such temporary separators is often faced with the repeated replacement of the separator over the lifetime of the drawer. Lastly, the use of both permanent-type and temporary separators present an impediment to cleaning the drawer base, as the individual articles must be removed to allow for cleaning the interior drawer surfaces. A device for organization of articles within a drawer that addresses the failings of this approach would be most desirable.
In an endeavor to surmount the inadequacies posed by the previous attempts to compartmentalize drawers by use of either boxes or separators, the use of expanding trays as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,425, Adjustable Drawer Organizer, has been developed. Although, this device appears to remedy the aforementioned list of deficiencies presented by its precursors, there are a number of distinct new limitations that are imposed upon the user. The first being, that the configuration of these trays is fixed and inflexible, as the tray compartments cannot be rearranged to suit an individual user preference. This issue is further compounded when the expandable organizer is expanded, in such an instance the user is presented with one tray section comprising permanently affixed separators, which establish rigid constraints regarding the compartmentalization of the section, and at least one open tray section wholly devoid of any partition for optimizing the arrangement of articles in the section. This problem requires that boxes must be employed in concert with the expandable organizer to achieve an acceptable means of segregating articles within the open section(s) of the organizer. Attempts to utilize separators in the open section(s) of the organizer fail to generate configurations other than elongated compartments, which may vary from narrow to broad in width. Further efforts to customize the compartments require the user to fashion components specific to the compartment width and secure these to the tray section or separator. The resulting arrangement is a regression to the permanent-type separator approach that is specific for the drawer in question. Another significant issue regarding the drawer organizer is retaining the position of the organizer within a drawer, given a drawer of length greater than the organizer and articles of notable mass. The typical approach has been to affix feet constructed of non-slip material to the bottom of the organizer, and to rely upon gravity and friction to secure the position of the organizer within the drawer. However, when the organizer contains articles of notable mass and the drawer is opened with sufficient force, so as to impart momentum to its contents, the organizer may be slammed to the rear of the drawer and the contents may be disrupted. A device for organization of articles within a drawer that could eliminate these concerns would be of great advantage to a user.
It would be most desirable to a user to have an organizer, which overcomes the collective disadvantages posed by each of the above approaches in the storage of articles in a drawer.